Every winter, after the football season finally ends, coaches trek near and far to seek out the newest, next best way to run a high school program.

Whether it’s play-calling, offensive or defensive schemes or how to establish a winning culture, coaches are forever doing research and development.

From coaches’ clinics, to staff visits to schools (college/high school) or picking the brain of a respected coach to find an edge, football coaches are consumed with program improvement.

Many coaches employ trips to symposiums like Max Miller’s Clinic of Champions or the (Frank) Glazier Clinics. Anything to find that one thing that will take their program to the next level.

Take, for example, Centennial’s Matt Logan, who decided to use the spread offense to run the football. An idea that seemed counter to the pass-happy spread offense everyone was looking to employ over a decade ago.

The idea came to Logan while playing against Los Alamitos while coaching at Anaheim Esperanza in the early 1990s. Los Al threw a lot but Logan saw a way to exploit the spread offense to be primarily a run team.

From that beginning, hundreds of high school coaches have looked to Logan to help them either implement or enhance their offensive scheme.

They sit in on his practices, pick his brain and imitate his schemes, his practices and preparation.

“If you get one thing that is of real use you’ve done well,” Logan said.

It’s knowing what’s out there, what other people are doing and what to add to what you already do to keep up with trends.

Last week, Rialto Carter coach Alex Pierce was at the Glazier Clinic in Las Vegas to present eight subjects, including “Building a Winning Culture, a how-to for building a winner”, “Fundraising, how to create a fundraising mindset with your players” and a program development presentation called “Forming a year-round calendar”.

And, although the above classes are important, Pierce said classes like “Plays to get to the perimeter” and “run game from the gun” are more of the curriculum he likes to get into with his coaching brethren.

“I give out info,” said Pierce, who is in his ninth season coaching Carter. “But, I get far more than I give.

“Generally coaches are all about helping each other and this is a great opportunity to connect. The game is always changing and there is always something new in football.”

Years ago, according to Logan, “The Coaches’ Coach” Bill Williams of Fallbrook had a subscription service. Coaches could sign up and pay dues to get regular access to a library of videotapes from the NFL to college and high school.

“That was a pretty good deal for a lot of us for a lot of years and then that kind of changed to what it is more of now,” Logan said. “He (Williams) would also do clinics for teams for a fee.”

From Williams to Glazier, coaches now have clinics and seminars at their fingertips. Glazier, and others, now offer streaming online classes.

But, for old-school coaches like Bill Powell, there is nothing like sitting down with a coach you respect and getting the time to discuss ideas.

“I like to spend a lot of time listening to successful high school coaches and what they were doing,” Powell said. “I love the opportunity to get into the mind of former Concord De La Salle coach Bob Ladouceur, Centennial’s Matt Logan or any successful high school coach.”

Powell said the best piece of instruction he ever received was from former San Diego State defensive coordinator Bob Elliott, who is currently the special assistant to Coach Brian Kelly at Notre Dame.

“I sat down with him (Elliott) years ago at San Diego State and learned a tackling circuit progression that was the best thing we ever got,” said Powell, who hopes to use the tackling drill at his next head coaching job. “From the second I saw it, I implemented it and have used it since.”

For returning coaches, like Riverside J.W. North coach Doug DuBois, the offseason enrichment has deeper meaning.

To DuBois, who took over the Huskies program in late January, an event like this week’s Glazier Clinic in Anaheim is not only a place to sharpen his coaching skills.

“It’s more about getting back in contact with things,” DuBois said. “And, trying to find coaches too.

Best known for a blocked punt that cost his team a football game eons ago, David Zink is a strong believer in the adage "those who can't do, write about it." Zink likes to write, talk and shoot video at sports events. Zink has been a part of The Press-Enterprise family for more than 20 years, working his way up from newsroom lackey to sports editor. Zink currently is a cog in editor Jeff Parenti's sports machine, working the website as well as shooting video and writing dispatches from throughout Southern California. A Buffalo Bills fan (damn you OJ), the Lakers, Angels and Galaxy are also fond friends of his. In his spare time, Zink also enjoys motorsports, anything soccer, digging up golf courses with golf clubs, dominating in corn hole and spending time with his lovely wife and three daughters. If you ever have a sighting of Zink, you'll note that the horn-rimmed glasses-wearing Shrek-like gentleman is likely enjoying the company of friends and family. Oh, and if you happen to like craft beer, Zink is always available for you to buy him one.

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